Beauty and Tragedy
by SweetNyx
Summary: The only way to break the curse was for him love another and earn their love in return. A USUK fan fic based off of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast with a vampire twist.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes. Some of you may recognize this fan fic. If you have no read this before, welcome and I hope that you enjoy it. ****p**

**So this USUK fan fiction that is vaguely based off of the fairy tale **_**Beauty and the Beast**_** with a vampire twist thrown in. Also, I got inspired by the song **_**Beauty and the Tragedy**_** by Trading Yesterday.**

_**Hetalia**_** (C) Hidekaz Himaruya**

_**Beauty and the Tragedy**_** (C) Trading Yesterday**

_**Beauty and the Beast**_** (C) Many people, including the Walt Disney Company**

* * *

For I am finding out that love will kill and save me.  
Taking the dreams that made me up.  
And tearing them away.  
But the same love will take this heart that's barely beating.  
And fill it with hope beyond the stars.  
Only love.

-_Beauty and Tragedy_ by Trading Yesterday

* * *

Act 1 - A Beast is Born

The tavern was rowdy and full of life. The pirates all around were flirting and kissing it up with the barmaids who served them, their cups filled constantly to the brim with rum. Each of them was fully intoxicated with only one thing on their mind, attempting to get in the bed with their chosen barmaid.

Only one of their party was not trying to get it on with any of the women in the tavern. It might have been due to the fact that he was the only one of the pirates in the tavern that wasn't drunk. Certainly, he had purchased some alcohol, but unlike the rest of his crew, he sipped his rum slowly, savoring the flavor. He dared not to guzzle it down or drink too much like the rest of his crew, preferring not to make a complete fool of himself. Still, it was probably due to the fact that he was relatively new at this business, having been raised from being a prized prisoner to a pirate, after proving his worth to the captain and crew, only recently.

The boy's blue eyes looked around the tavern, seeing if he could spot his captain who he had seen a few moments before. He had been waiting patiently in a corner of the tavern at the orders of the captain. A brief moment before, the boy had seen his captain chatting it up with a particularly fetching looking lass before he disappeared. The young man sighed and placed his half filled cup of rum on the tray that a passing by barmaid was holding, having had enough of the drink for now. He crossed his arms and continued to wait for his captain to return to him.

* * *

He was chasing after a particularly beautiful young woman, a saucy lass with a seductive smile. But it was not her physical charms that had peeked his interest in her. No. It was the information that she claimed to have that had intrigued him, pulling him towards her. She laughed wickedly as he chased her, trying to hinder him from ever catching her.

"Come back here!" he demanded, anger in his emerald eyes. He was so sick of chasing this girl that it made him sick of chasing after women in general.

"Now, now, captain. We both know that you can't catch me. Why don't you just sit down and drink that bottle of ale?" she teased him, indicating the bottle of ale that he had carried with him on this chase.

"I'll make you regret defying me!" he hissed. "I am-"

"An insolent pig," the woman retorted. "Don't think that I can't see what you truly are."

The captain could no longer hold back the fury that was beginning to overcome him. He flung that bottle of ale at the girl. The bottle missed her by a hair, luckily for her. The bottle broke upon impact with the ground. The glass shards flew in various directions and the alcohol seeped into the earth.

The pirate continued to chase after her, following her deep into the forest on the outskirts of the small sea side town.

* * *

The boy had waited long enough. His captain was not returning to him, so now it was up to the boy to go find him, since the rest of the crew either didn't care about their captain's whereabouts or were too aroused and horny to do anything other than attempt to make love with some of the barmaids. He drew his sword and headed where he had last seen his captain talking with the beautiful lass. After weaving his way through a sea of drunken men and barmaids he reached the place that he had seen his captain a little while before. In the wall nearby there was a wooden door that had recently been unlocked. Curious, the young pirate opened up the door only to find himself outside.

The boy closed the door behind himself and looked down on the ground, spotting some soft footprints in the dirt path that seemed to be leading away from the tavern. He turned back to the tavern and grabbed one of the lit lanterns that hung around the exterior before he headed in the direction of the footprints.

* * *

After an exhausting chase, the captain finally caught up with his elusive lass. The girl had finally stopped in a small clearing in the heart of the forest. The moon shined down on her like a spotlight, drawing all of the pirate's attention to her. She gazed back him with an intimidating grin as the pirate caught his breath.

"I was right about you," she judged him. "You really are pathetic, Captain."

A moment later, she began to transform before him, her flesh encasing of a human being ripping and falling down to the ground in pieces as she became a grotesque creature. A new black figure with blazing red eyes and enormous wings glared down at him, peering past the man's own cold green eyes into his soul.

"You truly embody avarice, don't you?" the demon before him spoke.

The man's eyes widened, frightened by the presence of the demon in front of him, yet unable to run away or fight her.

Thin hands grabbed at him, picking him up easily off of the ground.

"Greed. Lust. Envy," a voice listed off his sins. "What a naughty boy you have been, Arthur Kirkland. A true beast inside. Perhaps it's time to make the outside reflect the inside."

He was too speechless to reply. The demon's hands released him, allowing him to fall down into the wet grass. Arthur's insides start to burn and his body was soon consumed in pain.

There was the sound of the ripping of fabric. His back felt like it was on fire. Wicked appendages burst out of his back, the large wings of a bat. Kirkland writhed in agony, his eyes beginning to turn the same cruel red as the demon's.

"This is the monster that you are," the demon told him, over the man's tears and screams from the pain. "Fitting, no? You are damned to this cursed life."

With that the demon disappeared, leaving the monster in the bitter cold, alone.

_ Avarice and lust for power. Those emotions can awaken a horrible monster inside us all._

Arthur Kirkland now knew that the meaning of these words. There was only one way to break the spell, for him to feel true love for someone and earn their love in return. But who could ever learn to love a beast?

* * *

The village of White Raven was a quaint, rustic village in the countryside. It was the sort of place in which everyone knew everyone else and their business. It had several restaurants and shops, charming houses, and a small square in which the villagers would meet to discuss important matters. The entire village was run by the mayor, Feliks Łukasiewicz, and his partner, Toris Laurinaitis.

Although the village was appealing in appearance, White Raven had a dark secret, it was plagued. The occasional civilian or two would turn up dead, completely drained of blood. This plague was believed to be the work of some beast that lived in the forbidden forest at the eastern edge of the village. Livestock were sacrificed to this creature in hopes of pleasing it. Unfortunately nothing came of that as humans and livestock were being killed and drained of blood like water, despite the various warnings that were given to people to not go out at night unless it was an emergency or to never enter the forest under any circumstances.

Feliks assembled the people of White Raven for a meeting one evening, much disturbed by the news that he had been recently informed of. It was truly sickening to hear.

"Ladies and gentleman," Feliks addressed his citizens, his Lithuanian lover at his side. "Like this beast or whatever the heck it is has killed someone else. This is totally not cool!"

Toris stepped into to assist Feliks.

"The beast has killed a young girl, little Susie Miller. She was found dead this morning, the characteristic puncture wounds in her neck," he said. "We should work to prepare another sacrifice right away. That is all, unless anyone else has something to say."

No one spoke up.

As they left it started pouring rain. A storm had come to the land.

The village needed a hero. Little did they know that one was coming soon enough.

* * *

_Screams. He heard screams of the young man who was now at his disposal. _

_ "Captain!" the boy said desperately, gazing up at the beast who had tackled him to the ground, holding him captive. His blue eyes did not waver, staring at the monster before him not with fear, but with confidence and bravery. "I'm here to save you. So please let me help you."_

_ The sword that he had carried with him lay a few feet away from him, useless to assist him now. _

_ The monster seemed not to hear him, overtaken by the euphoria of the music that was the boy's blood pumping. The beast moved his head down, sniffing the boy's neck, before he dug his two fangs into the soft tan skin of his prey. The boy let out a small cry from the pain, but allowed the vampire to do as he pleased._

_ "It's alright," he said. "Arthur, I lo-"_

_ He was cut off, the blood being drained from him at a quick rate. Soon enough his heart stopped pounding and the rest of his body went limp and silent. The blood lust filled filter that covered the monster's eyes cleared and he saw what he had done. He stood up and backed away from the boy's body in horror. He let out a pained scream, tears coming to his eyes._

* * *

Running. The young man had to keep running, despite the pain that he felt. The cold rain poured down in thick sheets, soaking him to the bone. The combination of the rain and harsh winds had made him run in an attempt to find shelter from this storm. Luckily, he had yet to see any lightening or hear any thunder. Still, he knew that some was on its way.

He had come to the countryside to escape, to heal. It was true that this boy, Alfred F. Jones, was a mercenary, a soldier who would fight for a price. Scars on his body showed the horrors of war that he had witnessed. He was only seventeen when he had entered into that business. Jones had multiple reasons for becoming a mercenary, one of the most prominent was to obtain money so that he could feed and clothe himself. The young man had to get by on his own while he searched for them, that person. Shortly after collecting his reward money from his latest battle, he had come to the countryside for a brief break as he had enough to survive for a little while while he searched for them.

He had lost track of where he was. At last he caught sight of a castle rising out from the forest in front of him. Immediately, the boy ran for the castle. Once he was at the door, he knocked and continued to knock, praying that someone was there and would let him in to take refuge until the storm was over.

After several moments, the door creaked opened. There was no one in the doorway. A clap of thunder gave this mercenary the sign to go into the castle, despite the eeriness of the whole situation.

Seconds after he entered, the main door slammed shut behind him, making the self-proclaimed hero jump a little at the sharp noise.

"Hello?" he called around. "Hey listen, I'm sorry for intruding. I'll just be here until the storm passes."

He received no reply. The American walked further into the house, spotting a burning fire. The embers were kindling nicely.

Alfred was positively drenched. He dug into the heavy bag that he had lugged with him for his journey. Inside the bag was a change of clothes along with some night clothes. Taking out the night clothes, which were mostly dry enough to wear, he changed into them, hanging his pants, shirt, and leggings in front of the fire place.

The young man spotted a chair near the fire place, but ignored taking it, knowing that that chair was probably the master's chair. He was already intruding and he did not want to cause any more trouble for the owner.

The boy settled himself on the floor in front of the fire place and took off his glasses. He fell asleep quickly on the hard floor. Being in battle had taught him how to sleep on hard surfaces easily.

If the boy had been paying any attention, he would have seen two blood red orbs that were watching his every move.

* * *

"Well, if this isn't interesting," a voice remarked, poking at the nineteen year old, who slept like a log on the floor. "A little unwanted worm has entered into my home."

Usually he had to go kill them, but this little lamb had fled from his flock, presenting himself on a silver platter before the predator. Stupid human.

The beast bent down, sniffing the neck of the young man. The smell of fresh rain and mud filled his nostrils. Despite this, he picked up on a scent that he hadn't smelt in years, a warm smell that made him unknowingly smile when he smelt it.

The man heard the pumping of the boy's heart,which brought him back. The sound was music to his ears. The young man's neck was singing to him. The vampire swallowed hard. This was the animal that he had become, feasting off of the blood of the living.

The boy muttered something in his sleep, turning over to face the vampire. The beast got a better look at the human. The vampire noted the boy's unkempt wheat blonde hair and his skin that was peppered with fresh scars from his latest battle. The boy had muscular features to him and the beast had to admit that the boy was pretty attractive. It was uncanny that resemblance that this boy shared with him, the one from so long ago, whose spirit constantly haunted the vampire's dreams. But this boy before the vampire couldn't be him. No. His boy was long dead now.

The vampire shook his head. What he was thinking?

He bent down and was about to bite the boy, get this task done with, when the boy's eyes opened. At a speed at which no human could match, he had moved away from the young man to sit in the chair before the fire place.

Alfred rubbed his eyes and felt around the floor for his glasses. When he found them, he put them on and gazed before him. He saw that the master's chair was now occupied by a handsome man.

This man couldn't have been more than twenty three years old in age. Vibrant green eyes stared at Alfred, eyes filled with secrets and history, beneath a crop of golden hair and bushy eyebrows. The man's black outfit stood out against his pale pallor.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," the man purred, his voice clearly identifying him as someone of British decent. "Or should I say evening. You seem to have made yourself quite at home here."

The American stood before the owner and bowed.

"Forgive me for intruding. I was merely taking refuge from the storm," he apologized. "I will leave promptly in the morning."

The vampire gazed at him. He could see the boy's beautiful azure eyes, unwavering, confident and firm. So much like him. But...

The vampire put these thoughts in the back of his mind and tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"You will?" the beast asked. "And where will you be going?"

"No idea. Anywhere is good. I am searching for someone," Jones told him.

"I see. And who might you be looking for?" the vampire asked.

"My brother."

"Ah," he contemplated. "There is a town nearby. Perhaps you may find what you seek there."

"Yes. I should try there. Thank you Mr. uh..."

"Kirkland, Arthur Kirkland," he replied.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones. It's nice to meet you."

"_The same name, huh?_" Arthur thought to himself. "_Have you come back to haunt me then, in flesh and blood rather than in spirit or dreams?_"

Alfred held out his hand to shake the Brit's hand. Kirkland took him up on his offer. The vampire's hand was as cold as ice.

"You should go back to sleep, Mr. Jones," Arthur said, his voice having some sort of hypnotic power to it.

"Yes, perhaps I should," the boy agreed and resettled himself on the floor, taking his glasses back off, and falling back to sleep immediately.

Arthur got up from his chair and bent over the pathetic human. Yes, their resemblance was uncanny and yes their names were the same, but that name was common enough. There was no possible way that this Alfred was his from before. Still...

He was ready to get this thing finished with and bite the boy and take his blood, when the monster stopped himself, somehow unable to do it. How could kill him a second time? And even if this Alfred was not the one that he once knew, it would be fun to play with his food, now wouldn't it? Arthur snickered, retreating into the darkness.

"Sleep well, Mr. Jones," he told the sleeping boy.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Just as a side note, the line "but who could ever learn to love a beast?" came from the _Prologue _of Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. But here you go, chapter 2. Enjoy.**

* * *

Act 2 - To White Raven

A pair of blue eyes watched the scene before him unfold, finding himself rather intrigued. This behavior was quite unlike the sour Englishman, who always finished off his victims quickly and efficiently. What was so special about this boy?

The Frenchman smiled to himself, seeing that the cold blooded Arthur Kirkland still had some humanity left in him, a tiny weakness that Bonnefoy could use to his advantage as leverage against the Brit. He walked out of the room and into one of the vast hallways of the castle and began to whistle a cheerful little tune.

"You seem rather chipper tonight," someone observed.

Francis turned to see a man cloaked in white with intense red eyes watching him.

"Ah, indeed, mon ami, I am," Francis replied. "Let's just say I found out something rather interesting about one of my dear friends. Now then, if you'll excuse me. I must go wake up Matthieu."

The man in white nodded at him, allowing Francis to go off to his latest lover. The Prussian then walked down the hallway towards the entrance of the castle. Gilbert's fangs extended and he grinned, so ready to go on a nice, awesome hunt.

* * *

_He heard a gun shot and suddenly he felt pain. Blood began to stain his chest. The world around him started to spin, blurring into thick blobs of color. His feet broke beneath him, no longer able to support him. He was falling down to the ground. Somehow, despite the pain, he felt calm about the whole thing._

_ "_So this is what it is like to die," _Matthew found himself thinking in his last moments._

_ It was just as well. He was a nobody to the rest world. In fact, he was lucky that he had finally been recognized by someone, even though this recognition was not exactly positive._

_ Suddenly, there was the sound of people around him screaming. _

_ "Monster!" someone shouted. _

_ A moment later, all was silent around the boy. A pair of hands lifted the dying Matthew off of the hard ground. The young man couldn't tell who it was, but at the same time he found that he didn't really care._

_ Cold fingers pressed against the Canadian's neck, feeling for a heart beat._

_ "You still have some life left in you," the person spoke, speaking fluent French. _

_ Even though he was dying, the boy found himself easily able to understand them._

_ "Tell me, do you want to live?" they asked him._

_ The boy pulled on the last of his strength in order to nod. _

_ "This may hurt a little bit, but after this you won't feel any pain. I won't let any harm come to you ever again, Matthieu," was their warning._

_ The next moment a pair of fangs plunged into his neck. The feeling was euphoric to both the boy and the vampire. Suddenly, the fangs released his neck. Then he felt something pushed into his mouth. _

_ "Drink," he was commanded._

_ Matthew did as he was told, the vampire helping him to swallow the liquid. The liquid tasted unlike anything that he had ever had before. Soon enough the source of the delicious drink moved away from him. Matthew closed his eyes, the world around him fading into the shadows._

* * *

The sound of a coffin falling onto the floor echoed across the room. The vampire that sat up in the coffin, awake for the evening, made a cautious noise as if to apologize for the sound that he had made.

"Good evening, Matthieu," he was greeted.

The Canadian looked up to see his master, the French vampire of the clan, standing in front of his coffin. Francis was dressed in a fine blue suit that matched his eyes.

"Good evening," Matthew said, his voice soft, as usual.

Francis held out his hand for the Canadian to take. The newly turned vampire took his master's hand and Francis helped him out of the coffin. Once Matthew was out of the coffin, Francis released his hand.

"I had a dream last night," the boy admitted to his master.

"Oh? And what was it about, mon amour?" Francis asked, rather intrigued.

"About when you turned me," Matthew said.

"Ah. That just proves it then. You truly do love me, since I am appearing in your dreams," Francis noted, before moving close to the boy to whisper into his ear. "I also had a dream about you, my dear Matthieu. Perhaps it is a sign that we should spend some alone time tonight, just me and you."

The young vampire's face turned red with blush, knowing exactly what Francis meant by 'alone time.'

"But first, we must hunt. You, especially, must be starving for you haven't fed in several days."

Matthew's blush faded and he began to fidget with the curl in his hair.

"I know, master. It's just that... Well... How do I say this?" the boy stammered, trying to get what he wanted to say out, but unable to do so in a coherent manner.

Francis smiled at him softly, able to tell what was on Matthew's mind.

"You will get used to taking the blood of the living as your food soon enough," the older vampire told him. "It took me a while to get used to doing it as well. But don't worry. I am here to help you, mon amour."

The Frenchman bent down and gently kissed his beloved on the forehead.

"Get dressed and don't take too long, my dear Matthieu," Francis told him before he went towards the door of the small room that the boy had made his own.

"Yes, master," the boy replied.

"Oh, and, Matthieu, we have been over this before. Call me Francis. There is no need for formality between us," the Frenchman requested.

"Yes, mast-I mean Francis."

"Good."

Francis turned the doorknob of the Canadian's room to go back out into the hallway, leaving the boy alone to get dressed.

Once Matthew saw that Francis was gone, he walked over to a small wooden table. All over the table were little framed photographs of his family. He picked up one of the photographs, holding it in his hands. It was a picture of him and his older twin when they were younger, only five or so, a few years before _that_, the day that had shaped their lives forever.

"Please forgive me, Alfred," the vampire said, before putting the picture back down on the table.

He sighed before walking over to his closet to pick out what clothes he wanted to wear that evening.

* * *

Sunlight streamed into the castle, flooding the rooms with bright yellow light. After a small fight with the sun, a young man woke up at last, unable to defeat the annoying light.

Alfred rose and rubbed his eyes before putting on his glasses. He saw that the embers in the fireplace had completely died down. His clothes were no longer in front of the fireplace, but rather on the master's chair, nicely folded.

The table besides the master's chair had a plate that was covered by a beautiful silver lid on it. Propped up against the lid was a note written on pristine stationary. Behind the note was a hand drawn map. Alfred picked up the note and read it.

_Dear Mr. Jones,_

_ I am unable to see you off this morning. I have taken the liberty of preparing you some breakfast. I must admit that I did enjoy your company. Behind this letter is a map that will guide you to the nearby village, White Raven. Have a pleasant journey._

_ Sincerely,_

_ A. Kirkland_

_ P.S. I hope to see you again soon, very soon._

Alfred smiled and after finding a pen, he scribbled a small thank you note to his host. He then took the lid off of the plate to see what the master of the castle had prepared for him for his breakfast. He was unsure what exactly the meal was supposed to be as the food was burnt beyond recognition. Even so, the boy dug in so as not to be rude to his host. He found that the food tasted fine, despite its repulsive appearance.

Once he was full, he took the clothes that had been folded off of the chair and changed. After grabbing his bag and the hand drawn map, the American left the castle to begin his trek to White Raven.

* * *

With the sun up, the boy had plenty of light to see by. The sunlight fought to stream through the thick foliage of the forest that lay in between the castle and the village. As there was no distinct pathway between the castle and White Raven, the boy had no choice but to go through the forest.

He held up the map before him. The vampire seemed to have given him a map that showed a path that had the least natural obstacles to get through the forest and to the village. The boy followed the map, following the landmarks that Arthur had indicated on the map.

Finally, he broke through the forest and found himself standing at the edge of the village. Alfred saw a collection of houses and other buildings gathered together. He looked up to see the sun setting. He sighed. How long had he been in that forest?

Alfred tucked the map into one of his pockets before walking into the village. He found his way to the small square that was the center of the village. All around him, he could see various businesses, restaurants, and specialty shops, each eager to cater to their customers. The place looked fine enough to him.

Suddenly, his stomach made a large growl.

"I guess that I had better get some food," he decided. He would get food first and then find a place to stay.

The young man looked around him to see if he could find a restaurant that appealed to him. He spotted one restaurant with a sign that was shaped like a tomato in front of it. The sign read _Antonio and Lovino's Tomato Palace_. Alfred thought that that restaurant would be as good as any. As such he went into the restaurant.

_Antonio and Lovino's Tomato Palace_ was a small little restaurant with some booths and a couple of tables that could seat up to four people each. Keeping with the theme of tomatoes, various pieces of artwork of tomatoes were hung around the restaurant. The flag of Spain and the flag of Italy were situated outside the front door as well.

The second that Alfred stepped in, he was greeted by a smiling, energetic Spanish man.

"Oh wow! A customer!" the Spaniard cried excitedly. "Welcome!"

Before Alfred had a chance to reply, the man had brought him over to one of the booths for him to sit in and had placed a tomato shaped menu into the American's hands.

"I am really glad to have you here, señor ," the Spaniard told him. "Oh, dear. I completely forgot to tell you my name. I am Antonio and I will be serving you today. So, how may I help you? Oh, I know! How about we start with a drink first. Would care for something to drink?"

"Uh... cola, please," Alfred said, at last allowed to speak.

"Si. One moment," Antonio said before disappearing into the kitchen.

Alfred took the chance to look over the menu, spotting several dishes that he wouldn't mind trying. A minute later, Antonio returned with his soda.

"So, find anything you would like to try?" the waiter asked.

"There are quite a few dishes that sound wonderful, so it's had to decide," the boy admitted.

"Might I recommend the Chef's Special Pasta? My Lovi makes it and it is truly wonderful," Antonio suggested.

"That sounds perfect," Alfred replied and handed him back the menu.

"Alright. Your food with be out soon."

Once more Antonio disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, the young man heard some shouting in fluent Italian. Even though, Alfred had no idea what the Italian was saying, he could tell that whatever was being shouted was clearly insulting.

"Oh, Lovi," the waiter said, seeming to be unfazed by his boyfriend's harsh words. "Do it for me."

Things seemed to calm down a bit and Antonio came back out. He walked over to Alfred, while the boy waited for his dinner.

"I don't believe that I have seen you around here before," the Spaniard remarked.

"Yes. I'm not from here. I'm here on a journey, looking for someone," Alfred told him.

"I see. Will you be staying here for long?"

"I'm not sure how long I will be here."

"Well, I do hope that you enjoy your stay here. White Raven is a good place to be, I assure you," Antonio said.

The two of them continued to chat. Their conversation broke when a bitter Italian emerged from the kitchen. In his hands was a plate stacked high with freshly made, steaming pasta. He walked over to Alfred's booth before slamming that plate on the table.

"Enjoy," Lovino grumbled.

"Ah, thanks." With that, Alfred picked up his fork and began to eat. After just one bite, he realized how delicious this meal was. "This is really good."

Lovino glared at him.

"Of course it's good, idiot!" the Italian chef retorted.

"Now, now, Lovi. He just gave you a compliment," Antonio said. "You should thank him."

"Thank you," Lovino said, though Alfred could hear annoyance in his voice.

"You're welcome," Alfred replied.

"Say, you don't have a place to stay yet, do you? Lovino and I would love to have you at our place," the Spaniard invited Alfred.

"Don't just go inviting people to our house!" Lovino spoke out against it.

His boyfriend gently put his hands on his shoulders.

"Be nice to the gentleman, Lovi. Besides, tonight I'll make it up to you with some _special_ time" Antonio whispered in Lovino's ear, making Lovino blush as red as a tomato.

"Fine," the cook agreed.

"Then it's settled. After you have finished eating, I'll take you to our home. I know, maybe tomorrow I'll make you some churros. Would you like that?" Antonio offered.

"Yes, but is it really alright for me to stay at your house? I don't want to intrude," Alfred asked.

"It'll be fine. Lovi and I would love to have you," Antonio insisted.

"Alright. Thank you very much."

Antonio smiled, happy to have another house mate and also that he would be having some fun with his dearest Lovino later that evening. Lovino went back into the kitchen. Alfred continued to enjoy his dinner. Everything was good for the moment.

* * *

Pacing. The vampire found himself pacing back and forth in his own room. It had only been a day since he had let the boy go and somehow, he found himself having some sort of strange withdrawal. His very body ached, thoughts of the Alfred he knew plaguing his mind. He knew that the boy he had seen could not be his Alfred. It was impossible. And yet...

The Brit stopped pacing and went over to one of the large windows in the room. He moved back the heavy curtain that he had placed over it in order to look outside. He gazed out at the night's sky, spotting the glittering stars in the night's sky.

"Alfred, what do you want from me?" he begged to know.

"_This form reflects the hideousness inside you. The only way to break this spell is to feel true love for someone and earn their love in return_," the demon's words came to his mind.

"True love, huh?" the former pirate captain said to himself. "What a joke!"

He looked away from the night's sky and down at the forest, spotting an animal that would serve nicely as his next meal. The monster grinned before opening up the glass of the window and jumping out to go hunting. He could care less about love now. He was no longer human and he had no use for such an emotion. Even so, deep down he still had some humanity within him, even though he didn't know it.

* * *

**To be continued...**


End file.
